


East Of The Dawn

by Marien



Category: Austin & Murry-O'Keefe Families - Madeleine L'Engle
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-19
Updated: 2012-12-19
Packaged: 2017-11-21 13:31:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/598302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marien/pseuds/Marien
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fluffy  Yuletide fic written for pressdbtwnpages.  Hope you enjoy it, and Happy Holidays!</p>
            </blockquote>





	East Of The Dawn

**Author's Note:**

  * For [pressdbtwnpages](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pressdbtwnpages/gifts).



East of The Dawn

__

The outdoor amphiteater was filled with people. It was a clear, bright spring day, not quite noon.  
Adam found his seat. On one side of him, Dr. Austin and his wife represented their daughter's  
family. The three of them exchanged proud smiles.  
An old man stood up to give an address. Adam's gaze flickered over the stage, to the graduates  
sitting in long rows behind it. He couldn't make out Vicky's face among the sea of white-gowned  
and capped university students.  
He forced himself to sit still and not fidget. She'd done the same for his college graduation,  
two years ago. Boring speeches were a small price to pay for five years' worth of love, friendship,  
and in the last half-year, joyful anticipation.  
However, his mind insisted on wandering, to that trip so long ago...

* * *  
  
 __The Argosy's deck was empty for once. It was late; most of the passengers had  
found their beds hours ago.  
He'd tried, but after lying awake for too long, he'd decided to get up for awhile. 

Adam gazed up at the stars. This far from any city lights, the sky was clear, a black  
silk canopy dusted with bright silver.  
He'd had little chance to do any stargazing in Vespugia. Remembered anger and  
regret washed over him.  
A dark haze seemed to obscure the light. He caught a whiff of a rotten stench, like  
decaying meat, and shook off the mood. No. No more looking back.  
His vision cleared.  
He traced out constellations' patterns. For a second, he imagined a faint melody  
that seemed to pulse in rhythm with the flickering of the stars' light.  
Siri's music earlier must have gotten stuck in his head, he decided.

A noise from below interrupted his reverie. He glanced toward the water, to see  
a huge, dark shape pass below the icy waves.  
A whale? He leaned forward a little, trying to make out details. 

"Adam?"  
He nearly jumped out of his skin at Vicky's appearance next to him. "Don't  
do that!" How did she manage to move so quietly? It wasn't the first time  
she'd taken him by surprise. 

"Sorry," she said, but there was a mischievously unrepentant gleam in  
her eyes. She bent over the rail. "What's--oh," she drew in a soft breath  
as the whale's mottled, blue-gray tail flukes broke the surface.  
Vicky's smile was delighted. Adam grinned, too, sharing the moment.

The whale began to sing, a slow, haunting sound that was both familiar  
and utterly unlike anything heard before. They both stood, listening in  
awe, until the sounds faded away as the whale swam clear of the  
Argosy's wake. 

Vicky's hand slipped into Adam's. He squeezed her fingers.  
Feeling the coldness of her skin, he frowned, and put an arm around  
her shoulders, drawing her close. She laid her head against his  
chest, her arm twining about his waist. 

"We...should go in," he said after a moment, reluctantly. 

"You can't sleep either?" she asked. At his nod, she grimaced in  
sympathy. "I was having dreams. About--everything. Esteban."

"It'll get better. Never easy, but not so bad, over time." "Adam--I--" she faltered. More firmly, she went on. 

"I don't want to be alone. Not tonight. And-- yes, I want to be  
with you. Not anyone else." 

His breath caught. Feeling her close to him, he struggled to control an  
urge to pull her closer. Catching the mix of hope and nervousness in  
her eyes, he deliberately pushed emotions down.

He brushed her hair away from her face. "I want that, too,  
but not tonight. Not like this. I can wait."

She took a deep breath. "Then so can I. I just, I wasn't sure...if  
you'd be okay with that." 

Adam nodded. "For as long as you need." He touched her cheek.

"Come back with me for now. Just so neither of  
us'll be alone. We both need to get some rest. I'll sleep on the floor."

"Not if I get there first," she replied tartly, and took off at  
a run.

Adam hurried to catch up.

She had a head start. Despite Adam's longer legs, they were about  
halfway to the cabin before he overtook her. 

They paused at the locked door, both happy, out of breath.

"What species was she, anyway?" Vicky asked as he fished out his  
keys.

"Blue whale. They're baleen eaters; no munching on fish--or penguins.  
How do you know it wasn't a male?" 

She tilted her head. "No. It didn't sound that way. "

He got the door open. "Huh. Do you have a sense of them, the way  
you did Norberta and Njord?" He motioned for her to precede him. 

"A little. It's not as clear as with the dolphins. Like...the difference  
between a river and the ocean. Deeper, stronger somehow. Harder to  
hear." She gestured helplessly. 

"Hmmm." He started to ask another question, but Vicky had to stifle a  
yawn. 

Adam went to fetch an extra pillow and blankets from the closet. 

"The bed's big enough for us both. We wouldn't have to--"

"Nope." Bad idea. Bad, bad idea. Even if she didn't think so. " G'night, hon. "

He deliberately didn't let himelf look at Vicky, as he made up an improvised  
pallet on the cabin floor. 

Within a few minutes, they were both sound asleep. 

* * *

Vicky woke a little before dawn. She stretched, feeling happy and relaxed.  
The dreams hadn't returned. She'd been a little reluctant to mention them to  
Adam. He was grieving, too, and he'd been doing more than enough shoulder-to-cry-on  
duty with her of late. 

The whale song still echoed in her memory. Maybe she could make a poem or song lyric  
about it? Worth trying, she decided, and got out of bed, tiptoeing over to the little table  
across the room. She'd glimpsed a pad of paper atop it earlier, and a couple of pens. 

She picked up the pad. Words were already scrawled across the first sheet. She  
started to flip to a blank page, when she spotted her name at the top of the paper. 

Her eyes widened as she read the rest of what was written there. 

"Adam Eddington, did you write this?" she demanded.

Adam had begun to stir. Vicky's tone made his head lift off the pillow.

"What...?" He sat up. "Oh."

He blushed a shade of red that looked uncannily like a ripe tomato. 

"Um. Well. I know I don't have your sort of creativity, but I wanted to  
try. After those beautiful songs you and Siri put together last night..." 

Vicky held the pad in both hands, reading aloud in a low, but clear  
voice. 

"I don't know what the future holds  
Can't promise what will be...  
but hope still burns in deepest cold  
a chance for you...and me

Never doubt I love you, friend  
even in the times I'm gone  
love's a truth that only ends  
west of the moon,  
east of the dawn... "

She fell silent. He gulped. 

Vicky carefully pulled the sheet free, and folded it, tucking it into a  
pocket. 

Then she sat next to Adam. "No one's ever written something like  
that for me." 

 

"I've never written something like that for anyone," he answered frankly.  
" You think it's okay?" 

She kissed the tip of his nose. "It's wonderful. " 

"So are you..."

"Thank you. "

They spent the rest of the day together, talking, having a late breakfast, spending time  
with friends, watching for more whales. Vicky offered to "introduce" him to the penguins  
they'd met on the Argosy's earlier trip past the ice floes. They made a stop there, and  
Vicky and Siri played music for the birds again while Adam watched in amazement.  


* * *

The first of the graduates was walking across the stage. Adam was roused from his trek down memory lane by a  
not-so-gentle nudge in the ribs.  
He gave Dr. Austin an apologetic smile.  
The older man pointed to the far end of the processional path. Vicky, looking beautiful and  
confident, strode over to the University President and shook his hand.

__

They waited until the last of the new bachelor's degree candidates had been recognized, the  
last speech made, before they made their way to where the graduates were waiting.  
Mortarboards were thrown in the air. A great cheer went up. 

__

"Adam, you made it!"

__  
__

He managed to not quite jump, this time. He still hadn't heard her coming. He turned to  
her, hoping his pride in her showed in his face. "Of course. I wouldn't have missed this for anything.

__

"If you ever get tired of writing poetry or stories, you'd make a great ninja," he joked.  
He held out a hand. She took it, letting herself be pulled in for an embrace. 

__

Behind him, her parents waited patiently. Adam drew away a little, but didn't let go.  
He took a small, gift-wrapped box out of his pocket. Vicky accepted it, her expression  
hopeful.

__

The ring was a delicate gold band, engraved with a leaping dolphin.  
He heard Mrs. Austin squeak. Adam glanced back at them.  
Vicky's father smiled warmly, nodding. Happy tears shone in Mrs. Austin's eyes.

__

He slipped the ring onto her finger. 

__

__

Vicky leaned in to kiss him. 

__

__

After a minute, Dr. Austin coughed, discreetly. "So we have even more to celebrate  
now. We'd meant to go out to dinner....?" 

__

Adam and Vicky drew apart, though with some mutual reluctance. 

__

__

"Let's," Vicky agreed. "I want to get out of this thing--" disgusted wave at her graduation  
gown--"and I'm starving!" 

__

They turned to go, Vicky's hand still holding Adam's, the ring flashing in the late afternoon  
sunlight. 

__

When she looked at it later, she found the inscription inside the band. Four words, but  
they were all she needed to see.

_East Of The Dawn..._

__

The ring never left her finger again.

__


End file.
